Victoria Commissioners accept bids for airport sewer project

Victoria Commissioners are facing a more than $500,000 sewer improvement project at the Victoria Regional Airport.

On Monday, commissioners received three bids for the improvements ranging from $661,011 to $791,498 from Falcon Operating of Victoria, Horseshoe Construction of La Porte and Lester Contracting of Port Lavaca.

The project involves replacing some sanitary sewer mains and manholes at the airport.

Airport Manager Jason Milewski said the project will be paid for by grants from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's Coastal Impact Assistance Program.

Previously, the county used the grants to tear down buildings at the airport that contained hazardous materials including asbestos and lead.

"That had the potential to get into the bays and estuaries," he said.

Because of changes in the oversight of the grant, Milewski said it has taken longer than normal to have the project approved and funding allocated.

Becky Smiley, with the county administrative services department, said the project is using funds from two grant years.

The 2009 funds total $343,879, and 2010 totals $340,351.

"The airport funds will pick up the remainder of the project," she said.

Milewski said he hoped the bids would come in lower.

"They're a little higher than expected, or rather, than what we'd like," he said. "But that doesn't mean that at this point we're not going to proceed with it."

He will evaluate the bids with the engineer and make a recommendation to the commissioners.

There may be options to cut portions of the project in order to make it within the budget.

Milewski said the county has committed to spending $40,000 on engineering.

"We need to look and see what's going to have the most value for us," he said.